“The author Jamal Khashoggi does not represent the government of Saudi Arabia or its positions at any level, and his opinions represent his personal views only and not that of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” a ministry source was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency.

His weekly columns at Al Hayat newspaper have now been stopped and it’s understood he has been prohibited from appearing on TV and from attending conferences.

“Saudi Arabia should be ready for some surprises, likely in the form of negative rhetoric from the Trump administration. Ultimately, the kingdom needs to create an alliance of Sunni countries to serve as a bulwark against a potentially anti-Sunni Trump,” he added.

This is .. different. Saudi bans a journalist after he criticizes Donald Trump. Not The Sauds. Trump. https://t.co/TbVwTHC5wm

The journalist, who had published a weekly column in Al Hayat for almost five years, was also mentioned in a Washington Post article where he said it was “wishful thinking” to have unity in the region in line with Trump’s “apparent determination to ally more closely with Russia.”

Khashoggi has worked as a political journalist in well-established Saudi papers including the Arab Times.